Code: 0 Sakura all grown up!
by Mrs.wong1439
Summary: I hated the way the Manga ended and I felt that although the Manga tried to make Sakura a strong individual, that she was really week. I wanted to see Sakura grow a bit and I wanted a better ending so I wrote one. This takes place after the five years later chapter.
1. Chapter 1

It has been five weeks since her meeting with her friend at the dock where the fireworks suddenly went off. Although she feigned ignorance she knew they were a sign from Rei that he was watching. As Sakura sat in the café waiting for her date to meet her, she contemplated this great dilemma. After she left the code breakers it was hard to get back to normal, after all she herself is far from a normal woman. She and Rei both were naive to think that she could just slip back into her normal plain life. Especially since learning that she herself has her own special abilities, her life completely changed after learning that she herself is a rare kind. Five years is a long time to reflect on the past and now that she herself was older and wiser she can understand this much more now.

As she sits lost in thought she doesn't see the beautiful slender woman come and sit at her table.

"Did I catch you at a bad time Sakura?" Prince asks with her now long hair pulled into a bun sporting a new dress she just bought herself. Since that time five years ago Rui Hachiouji decided to embrace her femininity, yet she never thought in her wildest dreams she would enjoy being girly this much or embrace it with such furor.

"No of course not Prince, by the way you look beautiful as always today. Ready to order something yummy?"Sakura asks turning her full attention to her friend. Although Rei has been watching from the shadows these five years keeping an eye on her, he doesn't know everything and when he is away on his missions she has taken opportunities to meet up with her friends from time to time and even go on the occasional mission. She knew it was bad to keep it such a big secret from Rei, but she was also sure that even though she hasn't seen Rei in a very long time that if he ever found out that she still saw the code breakers that he would be furious.

"You're thinking about Rei aren't you? Don't lie, I can see if on your face." Prince asks with a sigh. That man, he was so stubborn. She understood that he didn't want Sakura to get hurt and that he thought that staying away was in her best interest, but did he honestly think that Sakura could just blend back into the masses after they all left each other? Sure things were normal for a little while, but Sakura has her own powers. It's not like she can just forget that.

"…You know me to well Prince. It has only started bothering me recently. When I went back to school I missed him, but I was so determined to win our silly little battle that I was able to trudge on. I never thought that he would be so determined to never see me again though. Hell Prince, five years! Five years I've waited for him to step out of the shadow and acknowledge that he's there. Does he just think that I'm going to wait around for him forever?" Sakura demanded from her friend. Although she knows that this is a lot to put on her shoulders, Prince was always there for her when she got lonely or needed to vent.

At hearing this all Rui could do is sigh. " I don't know Sakura, you know how he is? He'll do what he thinks if right even if it isn't necessarily the best thing." She knew this day would come eventually. That Sakura would get tired of waiting for Rei and that she would get tired of constantly feeling watched as well. There was no denying that Sakura still loved Rei Ogami with all of her heart, but she wasn't a child any more either and had grown up a lot. She had spent these past five years denying herself things that any teenager would have enjoyed so that she could make Rei happy even though she couldn't see him. Things like dating and hanging out with friends she kept off limits for five years. No wonder Sakura was feeling frustrated, she hadn't even remotely started to live or was able to move on this way. Being a college student and an adult, but still being stuck in the past by a promise made by a couple of naïve teenagers had started to wear on her.

On top of the usual things Sakura had gotten strong and her rare kind powers blossomed to the point that Sakura could control them a year after the code breakers split up. She even went on a few missions with other code breakers when the threat was another power user and could hold her own in a fight. Although Heike made sure this didn't get in the way of Sakura's medical studies and made double sure that Ogami never found out. He would kill them all if this secret came to light.

" I just wish that he wasn't so stubborn. You know what? I am going to do it, I am going to go on a date even if it kills me. If Rei can't care enough to acknowledge me after five years then he certainly isn't going to care if I finally start seeing other people." Sakura declared after a lull in their conversation. Although she doubted that Rei didn't care completely she was tired of sneaking around. Tired of leading a double life so that Rei wouldn't be hurt by her actions or be worried about her when she was needed to go on a mission or two. She had begun to realize after the fireworks that although Rei meant well in trying to protect her she was starting to feel like he just didn't trust her to make her own decisions. Working with the code breakers and keeping in touch with her friends were parts of her life too. She couldn't imagine life without them and after her she gained control of her rare kind ability, even though it put them at great risk all of the code breakers had been there for her. In fact it hadn't been long after she had moved out of shibuya mansion that she found herself moving right back in it to learn about her powers and train under the president herself. Although at the time she had been grateful no one had really seen her go through that except the Prince and the President. They had managed to keep that from Rei under the pretence that she was spending time with her biological parents, although they had all been surprised that they had been able to keep up that farce.

"You should do exactly that. You've been with the fear of disappointing Rei for too long. I'm sure he'll understand. You can't live under a rock your whole life, you need to get out there and have some fun!" And although Prince didn't say it she added in her mind that it would also be the push he needs to stop pretending they are still young and realize that it isn't possible for Sakura to live by his promise anymore.

"Hey I have an idea, why don't we go shopping the next time Rei has a big mission and get you some new clothes for all of those dates you're going to go on!" Oh this was going to be too good Prince thought. Although she cared for all her friends dearly, watching Rei worry about the male attention Sakura would be opening herself up to was just going to be too much fun. Serves him right for making Sakura live in a bubble for five years.

"That would be great Prince, thanks for the offer!" Sakura was now determined to date. She hadn't felt this revved up about something since her powers finally bloomed. It was nice to finally have something to work on to take her mind off of Ogami. Of course she still loved him, but she also knew that for her to be happy she needed to make a decision to either move on or continue to live as she is now and keep secrets from Rei while he watched from the shadows. She was no longer the naïve timid creature she was during their school days and although she had always been strong of mind and body she was tougher and more grown up now. She always spoke her mind and hurdled head long into whatever she wanted but she also realized that she allowed Rei a lot of control over her actions. This is because she limited herself so much over the years trying to make Rei happy even though he only watched her from a distance. In the end she either hid the things she knew he wouldn't like or refused to do some things all together.

Just as the waiter finally came to take their order Prince's phone rank loudly. "Damn it, looks like Rei is done a little early. I need to get out of here before he starts stalking you again." Prince said as she stood to give Sakura a hug. "Don't worry, I'm sure things will work themselves out. In the mean time try not to worry too much about it. I think your plan to date is great. Well, good luck Sakura." Prince stated as she turned to go. Thinking to herself as she left Sakura to order her coffee that Sakura had grown up a lot over the years. Rei was going to have to eventually realize that Sakura was strong, not in the same way she had been back then, but strong enough to make her own decisions and then to live with the outcome. No one ever died on their missions anymore and the missions Sakura always went on were subdue and capture missions of power uses who had turned criminal. They had even found a way to use the president's rare kind serum in keeping power using prisoners locked up once they used their ability for bad. Sakura had been a lot of help in this as well since her powers had been stronger than any of the other surviving rare kinds left. Indeed she had become a great asset to the new Eden even though she had to do this in secret.


	2. Chapter 2

As Rei opened the door of his apartment after another long successful mission he began to reflect on his conversation with Prince earlier. She had sounded distracted over the phone and this had worried him. He hoped that everything with the new and improved Eden was going well. God forbid things spiraled into the mess things were five years ago. He doubted that they would be able to repair the damage if they did.

As he walked to the bathroom to bathe the day away before going to keep watch on Sakura he wondered how she was doing today. His plan to put on a firework show after she had been upset about a poor report at school had worked and he had enjoyed seeing that spark she had when she was ready to get things done. Although she had always been a spunky kid she had turned into a real beauty in these five years. He enjoyed watching her grow and seeing how little she had changed, she would always be his Sakura. The one who had saved him from the darkness within himself. He could never possibly repay her and he never wanted to put her in danger again. He knew that there would be times that he wouldn't be able to keep an eye on her, but most of his waking time when he wasn't on missions was spent hiding and gazing at the beautiful raven haired women she had turned into. Sometimes he felt such longing for the way things used to be when she refused to leave his side, and if he was honest with himself he missed having her sleep in his bed. Even though at the time he hadn't appreciated what she was doing.

After getting dressed in a plain pair of jeans and a t-shirt with the glasses that he now wore when he was on what he considered "Sakura Patrol" and left. He looked forward to his time watching her more and more these days. It had never been easy to only watch especially once she moved back into the shibuya mansion to spend some time with her real parents. He longed to be able to visit her while she had been there so that they could relive their experiences there without the constant threat of being attacked. He knew he could never enter her life again however because his was a nonexistent. He also knew that taking the decision away from her was also wrong, but he could never ask or want her to live that kind of life. She had so much going for her now and he was insanely proud of the fact that she was going to be a doctor. It was just like her to pick a profession where she saves lives.

As he walked up to a small park across from Sakura's favorite café he saw her sitting at a table by the window and sipping a coffee. She was by herself today and looked like she was lost in thought. Today she was wearing a white summer dress that offset her beautiful hair. As she got up to leave he got ready to follow her from a distance. He knew she felt his presence and that she knew that he watched her to keep her safe. He had noticed recently that whenever she felt him near she would furrow her brow and look lost in thought. He could tell that for the past few weeks something had been bothering her. He hoped that everything was going well at home and at school.

As he followed her he noticed that she was getting a lot of male attention and had to stomp down a glimmer of jealousy. He knew he had no right to be jealous of those around her, but the thought of someone thinking of Sakura that way made him uneasy. He was well aware of her age now and that she had been in college for two years now. He also knew that she had put off dating not to hurt his feelings, it made him feel selfish but he was also relived that he hadn't had to watch her fall in love with another man.

Suddenly Sakura stopped moving, forcing Rei to dunk behind a corner so as not to be seen. As he watched Sakura look around and walk up to a good looking guy standing close to where he was hiding. He wondered what she was doing and if this person was a friend of hers or maybe a class mate.

"Excuse me sir, but would you be interested in going on a date with me?" Sakura asked the man. She couldn't believe how bold she was being, but once she decided to do something she did it. She hated that Rei was more than likely going to witness this and she hated that it was probably going to hurt him. She just couldn't do it anymore, Rei was so determined to give her a life that he thought she should have that he never stopped to think about what kind of life she may actually want. She couldn't just wait around until he reached his code end. They should have never made that deal to begin with and should have enjoyed the time they had left. Code end comes to all power users after all and Rei would someday be consumed by the 7 demons of hell.

"Wow, that was really bold. You know what though? I like that in a woman, of course I will go out with you, but first tell me your name." He replied.

After years of being prim and proper Sakura no longer cared for proper names. "You can call me Sakura, just Sakura." She told the guy.

"Well Just Sakura, my name is just Dai. How about a movie say Friday? If you give me your number we can work out the details later." Dai replied. He couldn't believe his luck, it's not every day a beautiful woman randomly asks you out.

From the alleyway hiding in the shadows Rei couldn't believe the exchange he was hearing. He never thought that Sakura would be so bold as to ask someone out. Now this strange man was going to take out his Sakura and on a date of all things. As he hid he could feel the jealousy rear its ugly head. He didn't want this person anywhere near his woman. Then he stood shocked, since when had he ever thought of her as his. He knew that wasn't fair, but he couldn't help it. He wanted so badly for her to have a normal life, but just the thought that she could be sharing that life with someone else made him want to panic.

"So it finally happened did it?" Rei heard from deeper in the shadows. There lurking with a cigarette in his hand was Toki. Quietly watching Rei's reaction to watching Sakura making her first move to take control of her life he thought to himself that Rei had to know that this day would come someday. He silently cheered Sakura on watching her grow up and realize that Rei was going to need a kick in the ass to realize that him and Sakura couldn't go on living this way. Prince had already spoken to him about her meeting with Sakura and how frustrated and depressed she had been. Sakura was grown up and Rei was still treating her like a child. Toki himself had tried to ask Sakura out on a few occasions to which her reply had always been that she could never hurt Rei that way. Ogami was just going to have to take his head out of his ass and realize that she wasn't going to just wait for him forever. Code end comes to us all so you should live it up while you can.

"Shut up Toki, I'm sure that she's just asking him out as friend. He's not her type anyways." Rei griped. Although he knew it was more than that. He began to understand all of those worried looks when he was watching her. She always could tell when he was there, even if she never caught sight of him.

"You are an idiot Ogami." Toki said as he turned to go. "Heike wants to see us. He wants a report on your last mission." As Toki walked he knew he was going to have a heart to heart with Ogami later. He didn't want to be the one to tell Ogami like it was, but he couldn't stand to see the longing on his friends face anymore. Sakura had been growing restless as well and the last time he saw her she did not act like herself. The fact that she had been so bold to ask someone out in front of Ogami was all the evidence that she had reached her breaking point with that childish pact they had made all those years ago.

Rei watched Sakura finish her conversation with the man for a moment more before turning away to follow Toki. He was worried about Sakura and about how this was going to go down. He didn't want to lose her. She was all he had and for the past five years watching her from a distance had become his life. The thought that he could lose her to some random man on the street was almost unbearable. He would have to watch her for the next couple of days to see what her plans were.

While this internal battle was going on Toki suddenly stopped walking as a Table appeared in the distance on the sidewalk outside the opposite end of the alley way. Heike must have gotten tired of waiting for us Toki thought. He must have used Yuuki's sound to locate them so that he could set this all up. He was going to have to have a talk with Heike as well about Sakura later after Rei left.

"Nice of you two to finally show." Heike murmured from inside his book. He knew exactly what Rei had been doing with his afternoon. "How's Sakura, Rei? Has her flower blossomed yet?" He teased Ogami. However Rei was too lost in thought to take the bait. After what Prince had told them about Sakura and her decision to finally date, Rei's state certainly didn't surprise Heike at all. He had even been in contact with Sakura's biological mother just to confirm that Sakura had been off lately. She had become a part of the team and an important one at that, thought if Rei ever found that out they would certainly have a situation on their hand. They could not afford to have two of their members distracted.

"Rei, how did the job go? Find out any useful information?" Heike inquired. Things had certainly been troubling lately. Typically crime from power users wasn't high and they rarely had to call Sakura in to help subdue and capture any criminals, but recently there had been a spike in occurrences. Usually those with special abilities wanted to keep it a secret and only attacked when provoked or to protect someone precious. However even power users are only human and all human hearts have the ability to turn to evil. He was going to have to put together a team with Sakura soon once they found out what ability and if the crimes were in fact being done by those with abilities. His instincts were telling him that he was right though and he would have to plan ahead. What a shame he thought that he could not put his two most powerful together. Sakura and Ogami would make an ideal team for these missions with her ability to suck power and his ability to burn all.

"I did. It appears that someone had rounded up a gang of power users and has been using them to commit various crimes throughout the city. Right now they are mostly hitting up banks, but some are selling their services to the yakuza. There have been several causalities, but their abilities and numbers are unknown. " Rei explained. "I'll need to do more work to find out their hideout."

"Those won't be necessary. Good work on getting as much information as you did. Stand by until I put you on your next assignment." Heike knew that this situation was going to be troublesome. He was now going to have to find some busy work for Rei to do so that they could move Sakura and a team to wherever the power users were hiding. With her ability control she was able to subdue more and more people without becoming lost making her the most powerful rare kind alive. She was the only one they could use for this without taking high causalities and Heike was not willing to risk his people on this trash. "Go home and get some rest now Rei. You look pale." He knew however that Ogami's shocked expression was from Sakura. She must have already made her move to start asking people out. This was going to be interesting to watch unfold.

As Rei left he got the feeling that his friends knew more than they were letting on, but he shook it off. He had been sure that no one had contact with Sakura. He had been careful not to let the code breakers anywhere near Sakura and he was sure that they would not do anything to put her in harm's way. She was after all their friend too and had shown them all love.


	3. Chapter 3

As Sakura was walking home after her coffee and her chance meeting with that handsome stranger her phone rang. "Hello." She answered.

"Ah Sakura, so good to hear from you. We are going to need you to be on standby. It looks like we may have bit of a power user problem. Also since this problem may be bigger than originally thought we are going to give you a code number. You will be on record from now on and you will be Code Zero. Usually these numbers mean that you are more powerful than the others, but in this case we have assigned you a number representing your rare kind status. Now I know you have used this alias before unofficially to hide your identity from Rei, but we decided to make it official. Since you are not technically a power user however this does not mean that you have to give up your life or become nonexistent like the other code breakers. Say yes if all instructions are clear and no if you require further explanation."

"Yes, I understand. Thank you." Sakura then hung up her cell phone. So she was now an official code breaker. If Rei ever found out things would not end well, but she understood the necessity. This would allow her to work more freely with the other code breakers without the rest of Eden having to constantly create a story for Rei. This would also allow her to mask her identity better since they would never pair her with Ogami as partners. Closing her eyes she reached out with her ability to sense any nearby power users and found Rei not too far away. A trick she had picked up in her training this had become very useful in situations where they had to go up against more than one power user. She had learned how to use her rare kind ability in ways that astounded her father whom she later found out had been the president the whole time. It was his theory that she was the child of a rare kind and a power user that she could use her rare kind ability more like an actual power of her own. Instead of merely absorbing the power of any nearby power users she could target one or two at a time and focus her ability on them, she could also locate power users by sensing them and control how much power she absorbed. In some cases she could expel what she absorbed, something she found out on accident while training with Prince, but she still did not understand how to use this ability and felt it was too dangerous to train it since she would need to suck the energy from a power user to test it.

He would be getting close now so she started to walk again towards her apartment. She hated that he hid from her and she hated that she felt that she needed to hide things from him. She also knew that as a code breaker this was a job only she could do, if she didn't Eden would be forced to send her friends into battle against unknown abilities to simply kill the power users who had turned to criminals. This was her way of protecting Rei and her friends and the people they went up against. Since power could not touch her she was rarely put in danger and she had trained hard in martial combat and honed her ability to where she could hold her own in most situations since a part of being a rare kind is elevated strength. Even saving Yuuki and Toki from some situations more than a few times and using her ability as a doctor to patch them up on the job. She wished she could show Rei much stronger she had become, but she knew that there would be no way to accomplish this without letting him know that she had spent the last years she was in high school training and honing her ability and working with Eden.

As she walked up the stairs to her apartment she stopped when she reached the door to locate her keys and look around. She knew she would be called away on a mission soon, she just hoped that Heike would be able to call Rei away before she was needed. She knew he was still there, she could tell without even needing to use her ability. As she unlocked the door and sat her things down on the living room table she noticed Yuuki sitting on the floor playing with her pet cat Mr. Whiskers. Letting the other code breakers into her apartment was a part of how they kept her missions a secret from Rei. Since he was always tailing her the others could come and go as they pleased as long as she wasn't home. When she was needed for a mission a member of the team would enter and then simply wait for her to come back since Rei never got close enough for Sakura to see him he never noticed when someone else was hidden in her apartment with her.

Putting her fingers to her lips to shush Yuuki to let him know that Rei was still close she used her ability to sense how close he was. To her surprise he had hidden himself much closer to her apartment than usual. She could feel the heat of his ability when she sensed it, white hot like the flame of hell itself. The fact that he was closer than normal was going to make getting out much more difficult. She wondered if he was out of character because of her boldness in asking someone out on a date. Had she known that she was going to be called away by Eden she would have put off her plan to date. As they waited in silence Rei finally started moving away indicating that Heike had finally called him away on his own mission.

Walking up to give him a warm hug Sakura stated "It's good to see you Yuuki, it has been a little while."

"It sure has Nyanmaru." Yuuki replied returning her hug."Is Rei far enough for us to get ready yet?" He asked. He felt guilty for lying to Rei, after all they were friends. However he was also aware of how much Nyanmaru had grown up. She had trained hard and had earned the right to go on missions with them. He wished that Rei would come out of the shadows to see how much she has grown.

"Yes, he's gone now. Eden must have called him away. "Sakura sighed. " Wait here while I get ready and then we'll go. Eden must have delivered the gear we will need for this mission by now." Sakura added while she walked to her bedroom. She noted that Eden had indeed been to her apartment earlier while Rei had been away on his mission. On her bed was an all black military grade uniform along with bullet proof vest, ear pieces for the team and weapons. Although they avoided killing on missions a part of growing up for Sakura was realizing that you didn't have to kill to defend yourself or the ones you love. She had taught herself how to subdue an enemy without causing severe damage by knocking them out or causing other non threatening damage. Although she still felt guilty for the pain she caused she realized that she could live with that much more than she could live with taking life and that if she wanted to continue being a part of Eden it would be a necessity. She felt that this was a small price to pay to work with her friends and that she could live with these actions. A part of growing up is living with consequences and she had grown to accept this. As she changed her clothes she reached out with her ability one more time to feel for Rei before they left. If he ever noticed her dressed this way he would grow suspicious.

"OK Yuuki, you can come in now."Sakura called from her room. Taking her ear piece off of the bed and putting her hair into a high pony tail.

Taking his ear piece Yuuki asked. "Have they briefed you on what our objective is yet?" He watched Sakura as he got his ear piece ready. He still could not believe that this woman was Nyanmaru. It still surprised him to think that this woman working with him today was the same one that had been glued to Rei's side in her attempts to stop him from killing. She had grown a lot and although she still valued life above all else she also realized that innocent people were getting killed every day and you don't need to take life to protect the innocent. She had worked closely with Eden to ensure that no more people would die on either side. She had been the driving force behind Eden setting up their own prison system for power users and criminals that had been out of reach for the law.

"No not yet." Sakura replied taking the weapons off of the bed and ensuring that everything was loaded and ready to go. Although she initially hated using guns because of their potential to take a life as she got older she realized that if you were a good shot you could subdue an enemy without killing them. Being a superior marksman was key to saving their lives because once they were unable to fight and were no longer a threat then no one else would have a need to end them. Once the jobs were finished she always patched them up before Eden took them away.

Grabbing the bag in the corner of the room Yuuki asked." Are you sure you want to do this?" He always asked her this before they began a mission together. He always wanted to make sure that she would be able to live with the outcome.

"Yuuki." She sighed."I know you're looking out for me, but you already know what my answer is going to be."Although she loved that her friends were always looking out for her sometimes she felt like they still treated her like a little kid.

"OK then lets go." He said as he walked toward the window. They never left through the front door just in case Rei was to be watching or one of the neighbors were to see them. They always left in the evening or at night as well.

"So what is our objective?" She asked him while closing the window behind them.

"We are infiltrating a yakuza owned warehouse where expensive and rare goods are being held until they can be sold on the black market. Our intelligence tells us that there is a small group of power users there guarding it. We have two ranged abilities and one close combat ability. Our object is to get the power users into their lost state so that we can capture, interrogate and then put them away. We will have a group of officers on standby to remove any one who is captured." Yuuki replied as the van their team was using as their home base pulled up. "Also for this mission we are to address you as code 0 and not by name. Looks like they finally decided to put you on record." Although Yuuki was happy for her and she had made the decision to become a part of the group on her own he was still worried about her. He knew she was doing what she thought was best and with her on the team death on either side of their battles was almost nonexistent, but he also knew that if Rei ever found out he would be more than angry. He would be incredibly hurt by all of their actions because of the lies and because Sakura was still putting herself in danger. He knew how strong she had become and he had seen firsthand that she was more than capable on these missions, but she was still Nyanmaru and would not kill anyone no matter the danger. There had yet to be a situation to put her in that predicament, Sakura had trained very hard to learn how to take down an opponent without doing serious damage.

"Lets move out then, we have a job to do before Rei gets back and I have class tomorrow." Sakura stated as she found a spot in the van. As they drove away her thoughts turned to Rei and his mission. She wished him safety and hoped that one day he would come out of the shadows of their past to see her how she was now.


	4. Chapter 4

Rei was running late, he had been watching Sakura from the trees outside her apartment when he had been called away on another mission. This time he would be partnered with that bastard Toki so Rei did not mind making him wait. As he walked he contemplated what he had seen earlier. As he watched Sakura come into her living room he had been sure he had seen another person there with her. He had been almost positive that she had reached down to give someone a hug. This worried him immensely and as he walked he chewed his lip, something that he had never done before in his life. Did this mean that she was already living with another person? Was it a man? He asked himself. As he continued his inner monologue that his biggest fear had been realized he did not realize Toki was beside him already.

"You know if you would just go talk to her instead of being such an ass you wouldn't be in this situation." Toki commented after seeing Ogami's new nervous tick.

"Shut up, you don't know what you're talking about so just stay out of it." Was Rei's retort, although deep down he knew that Toki was right. He didn't want to ever put Sakura in danger again, but perhaps she had forgotten about him.

"I'm serious Rei." Toki said as he stopped walking.

Rei knew when Toki used his name that he was serious about something. Even though they had kept a long rivalry among the two of them they had managed to stay friends. Rei turned to see the look of worry on Toki's face and decided to humor his friend and that he should take him seriously. Toki didn't worry often, but when he did there was usually something serious behind it.

"What's wrong Toki?" Rei asked worriedly as he walked towards his friend.

"Come over here and have a seat with me for a second, this job is easy and can wait a few minutes." Toki said as he took a seat. "Look Rei, you're not going to want to hear this and it's not going to be easy bringing this up. It's about Sakura." Toki began. He hoped that Rei would hear him out. For the past several weeks Ogami had not been himself. He had watched Sakura much closer than he usually did and spent more time watching her from afar. All of the code breakers could see the longing on his face these days and could clearly see the strain that keeping his distance was starting to have.

Rei let out a sigh and set down with his heads in his hands. In a rare moment of honesty he mumbled "What am I going to do Toki? She's starting to become interested in other people and when I was watching her place earlier today I was sure I saw her bend down to hug someone. What if she is already seeing someone and I just didn't notice?"

Toki couldn't hide his surprise at how honest Rei was being. Although Sakura had chipped at his cold façade when they were still all together Toki had no idea that watching her the past five years would have this effect on him. "You know Rei I am going to say this as your friend, but also as her friend. What you're doing, it's not fair to either of you. It's not good to put yourself through this ringer, but it's especially cruel to put Sakura through it. It is like you expect her to just be content with feeling you close and never getting on with her life. You can't just expect her to be stuck in this limbo forever. I know you meant well and are trying to keep her safe, but now that she's all grown up it's starting to feel like you just never took into consideration what she would want now." Toki hoped that Rei would think on what he had said. Sakura had come to the conclusion that she could no longer live her life in a bubble simply because Rei refused to man up and come out of the shadows. He had a feeling that if Ogami didn't make a few decisions on his own things would only get worse, particularly because he was sure that Sakura's decision also meant she was going to stop trying to hide her interactions with Eden and the other code breakers. "She's not going to wait forever for you man, she's strong and if she decides to move on you and I both know that she will stick to her guns and do it."Toki added standing up. "OK moment over, lets go we still have a job to do."

"Look Toki, I know that we don't always get a long, but still. Thanks, I did need to hear that from someone." Rei replied looking up from the park bench. "How am I supposed to know she even still wants me in her life? What if she's already decided to forget about me?" Rei asked pained at the idea.

"You wont ever know the answers to those questions unless you ask her yourself. You can't expect her to stay the same high school kid forever Rei. You need to take your head out of your ass and go to her." Toki replied lighting up a cigarette. This was a good start and it looked like Ogami had taken at least some of what he said to heart. "Come one, we've got to go."

Rei stood up to follow Toki down the street. Perhaps Toki was right and it was time to talk to Sakura himself. Thinking of actually getting to speak to her again after so long left him feeling excited. He did know Toki was right about one thing, it was cruel to expect Sakura not to live her life while he watched from a distance. Thinking back on the past five years he had noticed that Sakura had never gone to parties or really did much with her friends. She had refused to date and had made sure to be at the top of her class. Deep down Rei knew that she had refused these experiences to make him happy. He was going to need to relax at home and think on what he was going to do.

"What is our mission tonight?" Rei asked Toki as he caught up to him.

"We are only on stand by at the moment. We are to supply support to a team that is close by working at a yakuza warehouse. We are to wait close by and then only go if they need us. That team consists of Yuuki and a new code." Toki replied. He had not been told much about the mission himself. Heike had been unusually vague when he explained their mission objective earlier. Toki did not like where Heike's mind was going. He knew that Sakura and Yuuki were on a mission together and he hoped that Heike hadn't gotten it into his head to have Rei and Sakura meet on a mission by chance. Rei needed to work out what he was going to do about Sakura himself without Eden interfering for him.


	5. Chapter 5

Huddled outside a dark pier side ware house Sakura, Yuuki and their team of officers waited for Eden to give them the go ahead to continue with their mission. It had become a part of procedure to gather all members of a team before the mission started to go over a plan of action. Sakura still remembered the days before when they were all teens and would simply run in to any situation without a plan. She also remembered some of the bad situations simply running in had gotten them into and how great the loss of life had been. Code breakers were already putting themselves in danger by simply using their abilities since constant usage brought code end closer and she felt that there was no need to make that danger any worse by going in without a plan.

Suddenly on Sakura's head set she heard a static pop and then a voice simply state "Code 0, mission is a go! Good luck!" This was the go ahead they had all been waiting for and she already knew that everyone else in their huddle would have gotten a similar message. After a few seconds she felt out with her ability to sense the power users inside the dark warehouse. She felt four different people, with two at the front and two at the back. This was going to be more difficult than she thought if the power users inside had particularly strong abilities.

"OK team." Sakura started."We have four power users in the building; they are positioned two in the front and two at the back. However we don't know if there are other non power users waiting. We are to assume that there are more people inside and that everyone else will be heavily armed. I am going to split us up into two teams of two, Yuuki and you four to the back. Your job is going to be to cover Yuuki and give backup while he subdues the rear power users. You four there will cover me and give me backup while I subdue the power users in the front. We do not and will not shoot to kill, you are armed with cuffs and we have special ways to deal with the ability users. The goal is to coax the power users inside into their lost states and then capture them as well as subdue any others that may be inside." Usually Sakura would not be comfortable giving direction, but in cases where they were up against those with powers she always took the lead since she knew best how to deal with the situation. "Once my team is finished with those in the front of the building we are to move to the rear to assist Yuuki's team with their ability users. Also if Yuuki's team manages to finish before my own they are to move to the front to assist." She felt that she had been thorough enough that everyone understood the mission directive and what she expected of them. A part of Eden's non kill objective was swift punishment for those that committed offenses unless there had been absolutely no other way. She hoped that this mission would be a success. "OK team, let's move!"

Sakura and her team of four silently crept up to the front of the building and Yuuki's team started for the rear entrance. The plan was to have both teams enter the building at the same time so that both sets of power users would be tied up. Sakura was strong enough to take on two power users at the same time and Yuuki had gotten strong, but she couldn't take on four at a time and she felt that even Yuuki would have problems if all four power users ran to the back. As they reached the door she had the team crouch by the door and wait for Yuuki's signal.

"We have reached the rear door." Came through on Sakura's ear piece.

"OK, ready go!" She replied back. At that moment both teams burst though their respective doors to confront the criminal power users inside. Immediately she felt for the nearest power user which had been hiding behind some crates. After she confirmed his location she reached out to him with her rare kind power and grabbed a hold of his power with hers. As she did the other power user leapt out from behind a crate and used his ability to send a large wooden box flying for Sakura. She jumped out of the way maintaining her hold on the first power user and as she landed sent her power flying toward her attacker and slammed her rare kind ability into him. "I've got them both, cover me!" She called to her team. She would need to maintain contact with the power users for one more minute and then they would both be in their lost state and ready for capture. As they waited for the two front entrance power users Sakura heard gun fire near the rear of the warehouse. Her team had been lucky that they had only had two by the front, she guessed that those inside would have never anticipated that anyone would attack them directly from the front. She had also been lucky that the power users she had were weak and once she had them with her power they had become unable to move.

"OK team, both ability users are in their lost states."She called to her team as she watched in shock as the power user closest to her turned into a statue, she had never seen that lost state before. "I have lessened my hold on the other power user, but be careful and don't let him get away. We don't know what his lost state is." She called as she let go of the statue with her power.

After both power users were subdued and tucked safely by the front entrance Sakura and her team made their way toward the back. It had gotten quiet all of a sudden and she hoped that everything was OK. As they reached the back they came upon Yuuki and his team locking up the other power users. They had both been wounded, but were not lost yet so Sakura grabbed a hold of both of them and drained them into their lost states.

"Thanks." Yuuki said as he turned toward her."There were only four people so far. I suggest we do a sweep of the rest of the warehouse and confirm that there are no other guards." He suggested as he turned back towards the now lost power users and covered them with blankets woven with the president's serum. "That will hold them until the capture unit comes for them. I've contacted them already and they are moving in."

"OK, good. I agree, we'll do one sweep to make sure that we didn't miss anything before we call this a success." Sakura replied

After they confirmed they the warehouse was empty they all made their way back to the van where they found Heike waiting for them. "Congratulations on a successful mission. Although I find it strange that they only used four people as guards." Heike said as he got out of the van.

"I do as well." Sakura replied."I'm thinking that they weren't expecting to come across other power users and they just assumed that four people with abilities would be enough to scare away any one that got too close."

"We'll find out for sure once interrogation gets started and we'll keep you posted. Good job code 0." Heike said with a wink.


	6. Chapter 6

It was now late at night and Rei found himself sitting on a park bench lost in thought after he had been dismissed from standby status. He had always been sure that he had done the right thing by distancing himself from Sakura. He had been so sure on that long ago day that the decision he had made was the right one for them both. He had grown to understand human emotion and Sakura had melted his heart. He knew he loved her and that more than anyone else she was his family and that he wanted to protect her. But could he really protect her this way? Had he been selfish to make that decision for her and then enforce it so thoroughly? These were the questions that plagued him as well as a fear that Sakura and he would not be able to pick up where they had left off. Five years was a long time and he had not spoken to Sakura at all in that time. He feared most of all that she would not feel the same as she had when they lived together in the shibuya mansion and that the past five years had made her fall out of love for him. He no longer wanted to be alone and had always planned on sharing his life from a distance with Sakura, but he was now beginning to realize the reality of his decision. Watching Sakura was no longer a game of protecting her and if he was honest with himself it had never been in the first place and that he had simply used that as an excuse to still see her. Watching Sakura had turned into seeing her move on first hand and he still felt the sting of seeing her ask out another man. Could he really sit back and watch her fall in love, get married and have children. Just the thought of Sakura growing old with another person made his heart hurt and filled him with jealousy.

As Rei sat lost in thought he never saw Heike and Toki lingering in the shadows of the park. From this distance Rei looked so troubled and Heike knew the reason was Sakura. Toki had already come to him to tell him about his man to man chat with Ogami and that he may have actually gotten through to him. However from this distance anyone could tell that Rei had no idea what to do about this dilemma and that he was going to need a little push.

As Toki and Heike turned to walk away Heike came up with an idea." I've got it, I know how to get Rei closer to Sakura."

"Good, what's the plan? I don't care for playing match maker, but Ogami looks like such a pitiful bastard sitting there." Toki replied as he lit up a cigarette. It wasn't just Rei that Toki worried about either. He had heard from Yuuki that Eden had decided to make Sakura official and gave her a code number. This meant that it would be impossible for Eden and Heike both to continue to cover for Sakura's missions and that she and Rei would eventually cross paths. She had been the driving force behind Eden's new policies and behind the way Eden now ran. Her mother had been a founder of the old Eden and Sakura had risen up to the occasion and had helped build the foundation for the new one. It had been a miracle that the existing code breakers and Eden personnel had been able to keep her secret for this long.

Heike turned and whispered something into Toki's ear. "Heike you are a genius, this is downright diabolical, but I have a feeling that this is going to work." He knew he could count on Heike to come up with something brilliant. With that they both went their separate ways to put their plan in place leaving Rei lost in thought and none the wiser.

As Rei sat he thought he heard a noise close by, but brushed it off. He was going to have to come up with a plan to find out how Sakura felt about him. He felt like he was ready to see her in person, just the thought made his heart beat faster. He never got nervous, he was a code breaker and faced death regularly but thinking about walking up to Sakura made his stomach hurt. Even after this long he was still not used to the way being near her made him feel and the feelings she invoked in him.

As he sat he looked at his watch and decided that he better get home. It was going to be a long week and he felt that he needed a long hot soak to help settle his troubled mind. He felt sure about one thing and that is as much as he hadn't wanted to admit it that bastard Toki was right. He and Sakura had been terribly naive to agree to the terms he had set. He understood his own motivation, but he knew that Sakura wasn't an ordinary human and expecting her to fall back into that role had been wrong. He didn't like to think that she had struggled trying to fill the role he had forced her into, but he knew deep down that she had.

As Rei walked along contemplating his younger self and Sakura his phone rang. "Hello Heike." Rei replied a bit too forcefully. He hadn't realized he was so on edge until he heard it in his voice.

"Chipper as always I see Rei. I have a mission for you."

"You always have a mission for me." Rei sighed.

"Come now don't be that way, this mission is special. I think you're going to like this." Heike replied slyly.

"Just spit it out and tell me what you want me to do already." Rei replied with impatience.

"Fine, but Rei you sound so tense perhaps a massage would do you some good. We need you to keep an eye on Sakura. It appears that she may be targeted by the ability user group that we have been following." Heike smiled slyly. This was going to be just too perfect.

"Heike, you know that I already keep an eye on Sakura so what exactly is it you want me to do?" Rei bit out. He did not like where this was going.

"You are to enroll in university courses of course. If something happens you need to be close enough to react and you won't be if you're hiding in the bushes outside of her courses. You need to be in the same room as her Rei." Heike could just feel the disbelief on the other end of the phone before Rei even replied.

"You can't be serious Heike. I can't do that, I haven't seen her in five years! Being around me is going to put her in danger." Rei yelled back into the phone.

"No need to get angry Rei, to be perfectly honest I spoke to Toki about doing this first and he said something about seeing how Mii-tan and Hii-tan have grown. I thought I would offer it to you since you would take the mission more seriously, I would hate to see Toki's unsavory habits rub off on her." Oh he was too good at this Heike thought. He knew exactly how to push Ogami's buttons when it came to Sakura.

"Like hell he will, I don't want that bastard anywhere near Sakura. If he lays a finger on her I will kill him!" Rei seethed."I'll enroll tonight and be ready for classes as soon as possible, but it would be easier if Eden could speed up the process for me. Don't you let Toki anywhere near her class or her school for that matter!" Rei knew his demands were a bit much, he knew all of the code breakers would want to protect their friend. However he also remembered all of the groping Sakura had endured at the hands of Toki. He had always suspected that Toki had a crush on Sakura and that maybe he was a little in love with her too. He had caught him looking at her longingly a couple of times when they were younger a feeling he himself knew all too well. Sakura was way too sweet and innocent for the likes of him.

"Done and Done. You won't be able to enroll in all of her courses since she is a med student, however you will be in the rest of her classes. You are to watch for anything out of the ordinary and take down anyone that may be out to harm her." Heike knew that his plan was perfect. Rei didn't know that if anyone actually came after Sakura she would be more than capable of holding her own. Maybe he could also find a way to show Rei how strong she had gotten. This was going to open up so many opportunities.

"Fine, I'll talk to you later Heike I have to go prepare." Rei knew that this was his opportunity to figure out how Sakura felt about him now. He could figure out her feelings and protect her at the same time. He also wanted to make sure that bastard Toki didn't show up to make a move on her while she was vulnerable.


End file.
